Five Minute Friday - Crowd

"Crowd"

GO:

Sometimes I just have to withdraw, to get away from the crowd. Because life, at times, it feels like I’m surrounded and it can be overwhelming. Claustrophobic.  And it’s thick and heavy. And I need to regain composure. And breathe. And be. Away from it all.

And then I get back in there. Into the crowd. Because life happens there. There is hope. There is freedom. There is healing. There is forgiveness. Life happens in the crowd.

A woman. Pushes her way through the crowd. She’s contaminated. She reaches through the crowd and touches the end of his cloak. Healing.

A young boy, with such a small offering, his own lunch, is used to feed a crowd of 5,000. Provision.

A woman, no longer condemned, no longer named adulteress, as the crowd dissipates. Forgiveness.

A crowd, gathered, listening to His teaching. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

A great crowd followed.

And Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray.

Life happens in the crowd, but sometimes, you just need to get away.

STOP.

Today I'm linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker for 5 Minute Friday - Every Friday a bunch of writers, spend five minutes writing on a one word prompt, no editing, no perfecting, just however it comes. Beauty. Today's word ... Crowd. 

Soldiers of our God, ARISE!

Soldiers of our God, arise! The day is drawing nearer; shake the slumber from your eyes, the light is growing clearer. Sit no longer idly by, while the heedless millions die. Lift the blood-stained banner high and take the field for Jesus. 

These words from The Salvation Army song book inspire and ignite within me a passion for this Army of salvation. They speak of our purpose, our mandate and declare the very essence of who we are. Soldiers: fighting to win the world for Jesus. Yet there are whispers within the ranks that say, ‘The Salvation Army has abandoned its post and failed in fulfilling its mission’, ‘It’s stuck in the past’, or ‘the movement is stagnant and without vision’. These whispers distract us from the fight, and they need to stop. We will not quit out of frustration but will fight harder, with greater endurance and stronger determination, because while our tactics may change, our mission remains.

The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 by William and Catherine Booth during a dark time where poverty, injustice, corruption and disease infiltrated the streets of the east end of London. The Salvation Army was established to challenge and fight against social injustices and see people rescued into the kingdom of Jesus. This zealous Army spread rapidly, and our history is marked with stories of courage, innovation and salvations won. We must learn from our past, engage in the present and step into the future.

Not that much has changed. Ours is still a dark world in need of light: the light, life and love of Jesus! People are still drowning in an ocean of sin, broken and hurting, desperate for something more.

The chief coroner announced last month that in the past year, 541 lives were lost to suicide. Connection through social media seems to trump true community, but the reality is that people are lonelier than ever. Depression is rampant. People are marginalised on account of their age, gender, disability, ethnicity or socio-economic status. Thousands of children live in poverty. Addictions to alcohol, pornography, gambling and even work oppress. Corruption is rife and injustice extensive.

Today, The Salvation Army is made up of soldiers who are dedicated, disciplined and determined disciples of Jesus. They are cleansed because of Christ’s sacrificial blood and equipped, empowered and filled with the Holy Spirit’s fire. They aren’t afraid to stand up in defence of the marginalised; they love their neighbours and seek to imitate the example of Christ.

They are courageous, bold and innovative; willing to put reputations on the line to challenge injustice and corruption. They rise above the standards set by society and set their sights on a higher purpose. These soldiers fight with endurance to bring hope and purpose to a deteriorating world. Not as individuals, but as units who thrive within and strive for community. Much of their fighting is done on their knees in persevering prayer, and the sword they possess is the Word of God, which they know well and are deeply committed to. They are zealous, undaunted, fearless, unswerving and unstoppable as they storm the forts of darkness.

In this Army we find belonging, we find purpose, we take up arms and fight to see people freed from oppression, injustice conquered, and souls saved into the Kingdom of Heaven. Hallelujah!

In this Salvation Army there is a place for you, irrespective of your age, your gender, your ethnicity, your past, your fears or your failings. This is an Army fuelled with passion, filled with purpose and fighting to prevail over darkness.

So … Soldiers of our God arise! Forward march with Blood and Fire and win the world for Jesus!

Stalked by fear ... liberated by Love

Last night I woke to the sound of my four year old son screaming a blood curdling scream. I bolted out of bed to go to him, only to meet him in the hallway as he ran and leaped into my arms. I don't think I remember him ever holding me as tight as he did last night. He was holding on for dear life, crying and so I held him, tight. I took him into our bed and he settled in my arms, between Brenton and I. He told us that Monsters had been chasing him.So he'd ran, right into the arms of safety. We talked about it with him, talked about how there are no such thing as monsters and he calmed right down. After a visit to the toilet, he hopped back into his bed and went back to sleep. All I wanted to do was comfort him and allay his fears. I hated seeing him afraid and fearful.  

When I was 14 years old, my mum had taken a protection order out against her ex-partner. The living situation had been less than ideal for a long time, and she had built the courage to do what she needed to, to protect us. Unfortunately the protection order wasn't enough to deter him from 'harassing' us and the mental, emotional abuse and intimidation continued. He would sit down the road from our house and watch us, when we went out he followed, when we were visiting at a friends he would drive around and around the block. At one point he rented the house next door, I discovered it after finding holes in the fence, climbing a tree and seeing his car parked in the shed .

Fear marked my life. It was a continual state of being. One evening after arguing with Mum about something I left the house and started walking to a school event in the dark. As I walked he pulled up and drove his car alongside me. He drove off, and lapped the block I was walking. Terror took over. I have never been so petrified in all my life. I pulled out my cellphone and called mum (should have called the police, but fear clouded clarity and sense). She, in a panic and fluster, couldn't find her keys but contacted a friend to come and get me. By this stage he'd settled himself in a car park at a supermarket, watching as I walked.

Twice, a protection order breach was thrown out of court because of technicalities. The so called protection of the state really was no protection at all. For years after this event I was afraid of the dark. Right into my adult years. I struggled to walk outside by myself in the dark, I was hyper-vigilant of every noise and movement and avoided it as much as possible. Fear holds us captive. It stops us from living a full life. It has a way of chasing us down and cornering us, like a crazy stalking his prey. It wasn't until working through the 12 steps programme (highly recommend it!) during my training at Booth College of Mission that I found freedom from this fear. I remember the first time, walking from the main building to our little on campus unit, by myself, without fear. It was a celebratory moment. 

At the time of the incident I struggled to see Gods protection in the situation,  yet I look back now and I see it clearly. Recently during a time in prayer my thoughts took me back to that fear-filled night, and I had a picture of Jesus, standing between me and the car. A fierce look on his face, like only over his dead body would he let anyone get to me. Absolute determination, absolute protection, absolute security. 

Psalm 139 is one of my favourite psalms. Verse 10 says "your right hand will hold me fast." 

This speaks to me of ultimate security and protection. When I get in a car and fasten my seat-belt  I do it as a means of protection. If I have to stop suddenly, or find myself in a dangerous situation the seat-belt is there, fastened, to hold me in place, to protect me, and prevent harm.

Psalm 139:10 is a promise. In the right hand of God, we are held tight, we are secure, we are protected. Just as my son finds security, comfort and freedom from fear in my arms, we can find security, comfort and freedom from fear in Gods.

When we fail to trust Jesus, and choose to rely on other things like finances, relationships, status, others approval and affirmation we take a step out of His hand - we fail to rely on HIM to secure us. Trust and total dependence on him places us in the centre of His hand and assures us of His security and protection. 

"There is no room in love for fear." 1 John 4:18. God is love, it's his very nature. When we rest in God, abide in him, trust him and depend on him, fear dissipates and freedom reigns. Hallelujah!

Questions to consider:
Is there something I am fearful of?
In what or who do I depend on for ultimate security?
Am I embracing and living in the truth of the Word of God which says "Your right hand will hold me fast"?


Prayer: "Lord, thank you for the security, protection, comfort and freedom we have in you. Hold me fast in your right hand! In Jesus name, Amen." 

Aquitted

Their eyes pierce like swords
Staring me down
With judgement
Despising me, and all I've done.
Their whispers echo through the room,
I can't make out what they are saying
But I know
"Guilty"
They snicker, they mock, they ridicule
And they are right.
I've found myself here, on the stand
Not as a witness
But accused and condemned.

Innocent until proven guilty
What a joke.
I am guilty
I know it
They know it
He knows it
So I sit, waiting for my sentence
I'm without defence
What's the point?

I've sat in their seat
Judging
Mocking
Ridiculing
I'm guilty of murder, deceit, lust and hatred
I've hurt those who loved me
I've broken covenant
I've been two-faced, hidden behind masks
I'm guilty all the same
Swimming in shame
I know it
They know it
He knows it
So I sit and wait for my sentence

He rises from His seat
He approaches me
I don't anticipate what's coming
His eyes pierce like a sword with
                 Love
                         Grace
                                   Mercy
I don't hold His gaze
The shame is all consuming
He takes me by the hand
Leads me off the stand
Staring me down
With tears in His eyes
Immense in deep, deep love
Despite what I've done.
His whisper echos through the room
"Go in freedom and sin no more. They might condemn you, I don't."
"I love you with an everlasting love
 I know you
 I know your heart
You are forgiven, you are set free"
He removes the shackles binding me

Something starts to happen from within
It builds like fire
I welcome the discomfort
Guilt and shame ... dissolve

I lift my face to look him in the eyes
In the intimacy of that moment
It's like...
That's all he ever wanted.

The fire within continues to burn
Somehow he's infiltrated me,
Consuming me.
The joy
           hope
                   love is indescribable
Like nothing I've ever imagined
He anoints, appoints and affirms me
He shifts His gaze to the door
Indicating my time here is done
His whisper echos through the room
"Not guilty, Freedom"

I walk in it
As I walk in this new found freedom
In His truth
It's like His embrace is all encompassing
It gets stronger, firmer with each step
As I leave this place of judgement,
Acquitted,
I take one last look.

And there He is
On the Stand
In my place
Their eyes pierce Him like swords
Their whispers echo through the room
They snicker
They mock
They ridicule
But He's innocent
I know it
They know it
He knows it

From that place of guilt and shame
He nods to me
Affirming me as I walk in His freedom
This is love
               This is grace
                                 This is mercy
                                                    This is Jesus

Silence in the face of injustice

Silence can be deafening. At times deadly. Sometimes it says more than the spoken word could ever say. And sometimes the consequences of silence are greater and far more reaching than we could ever imagine.

Before the high priest “Jesus remained silent.”  Before Herod “Jesus gave him no answer” 

I imagine, on that day, His silence was deafening as the Jewish scribes and Pharisees, had conspired against him to have him killed and now shouted before Pilate to have him “CRUCIFIED!”. Deafening as his followers, who had deserted him, looked on and his lips remained tightly sealed, watching … waiting. I wonder if the chaos and noise around them became a hazy blur. “Why isn’t he saying anything?” was, I’m sure, a question on the forefront of their minds. I wonder if they felt deafened by his silence.

With a prepared, persistent, passionate and united front the Jewish leaders were determined to have Jesus crucified. They shouted, until their shouts prevailed.

Injustice: condemning an innocent man.

I remember in 6^th form (year 12) being accused of plagiarism in English. The assignment had been to write a poem. I don’t remember the poem, don’t even know what it was about, but when I received it back from the teacher it wasn’t marked, it just had a note on it saying “See me”. So I did. I vividly remember the teacher asking me “Did you write this?” to which I replied “Yes”. From there she went on to ‘talk’ with me about plagiarism, the consequences of it, and again asked me if I wrote the poem. Frustration and anger stirred because I was being accused of something that I was completely innocent of. It’s fair to say I defended myself, and the conversation got a little heated. My voice, a wee bit louder and shrill as I maintained my innocence.

“I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“I’M INNOCENT”

Why wouldn’t I defend myself, with passion and fervour? Why would anyone stay silent and let injustice prevail?

Like Jesus did.

Jesus, completely innocent, doesn’t for a moment attempt to defend himself. He doesn’t fight for his own freedom, which he is entitled too. Why? He knew our freedom was at hand. He knew that through his silence, He would prevail.

At that time silence was required to accomplish a greater purpose. He would overcome, he would prevail over sin and death by remaining silent so that we could be free and inherit eternal life.

His deliberate silence resulted in His death.

Deafening silence: "A silence or lack of response that reveals something significant."

His silence that day didn’t just reveal something significant, it enabled something significant.

Something significant: Death is conquered.

Something significant: We are delivered.

His silence was deafening

His silence was deliberate

His silence was deadly

His silence defeated

His silence delivered

The time for silence in the face of injustice has passed. It’s consequences reached beyond what anyone hoped or imagined, conquering death, setting us free. Once, silence in the face of injustice was necessary, but not today.

The time for silence has passed. The tide has turned. Today we shout against injustice and we shout about the love and freedom he’s given us.

May our shouts be deafening

May our shouts be deliberate

May our shouts be deadly

May our shouts defeat

May our shouts deliver

SamME

Their Shouts Prevailed ...

One of my most memorable wedding gifts was the megaphone I was given by my church family. I say “I” was given, because, it really was for me, (and they did apologise to Brenton for it) apparently they just couldn’t resist … much to my delight. It was a bit of a joke … because anyone who knows me, knows the LAST thing I need is a megaphone. At our wedding, I tried to use the megaphone for my speech during the reception,

 

Cute, look how her groom is gazing adoringly at his new bride.
(either that or he's thinking "Do they hate me? Why did they give her a Megaphone?")



but no one could take me seriously (no idea why) so I resorted to the microphone. The truth is I liked to be heard.

Don’t we all?

Some of us find making ourselves heard a little easier than others.

One group in the bible, who didn’t struggle in making their voices heard, was the Jewish high priests and leaders at the trial of Jesus before Pilate.

“Their shouts prevailed” Luke 23:23 (NIV)

These three words struck me when I read them a few months ago. It was like I was reading them for the first time, and it seemed as though God was SHOUTING them to me. “THEIR SHOUTS PREVAILED!!!” A number of personal questions came to mind.

“What am I shouting about?”

“Where are my shouts prevailing?”

“Where is my voice being heard?”

I was incredibly challenged!

How did the shouts of the Jewish high priest and leaders prevail?

They were prepared. “Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.” Matthew 26:3-4 (NIV) They were prepared. They had a plan in place, they’d had meetings, talked about it, rallied the troops and took it to the appropriate authorities to present their case.

They were persistent “But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” Luke 23:5 (NIV)

 The more opposition, or resistance they encountered from Pilate the louder they got, and the stronger they got. They didn’t let his opposition hold them back. They weren’t going to take no for an answer.

They were passionate. “The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.”Luke 23:10 They totally believed in what they were shouting about, they were dedicated and committed to it. They were fervent, the atmosphere must have been heated and intense.[1]

They were united. “With one voice the crowd cried out, “Kill this man! Give Barabbas to us!” Luke 23:18  They had a united voice and there is power in unity.

The Jews had an effective group, with an effective strategy: preparation, passion, persistence, and unity so … their shouts prevailed.

BUT … while we can learn from their strategy, we have to acknowledge that their motive and purpose was tainted. They were shouting for injustice. They were shouting to have an innocent man killed, there was nothing honourable about that. Yes, they were passionate, they truly believed in what they were shouting for, (so much so that as Jesus hung on the Cross near death he prayed “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”) but their cause was lacking.

As followers of Jesus, our cause is justice, as was his. God is a God of justice, and injustice breaks his heart, Jesus has experienced it himself. He knows what it’s like.

When we shout, when we desire for our voices, our shouts to prevail, let them be for justice. We don’t have to look far before the injustices around us become apparent, the world is swimming in injustice; domestic violence, addictions, discrimination, inequality, child poverty, poverty to name a few. If you lack passion, and have a desire for justice pray to the Lord: “Break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your kingdoms cause.” But be warned, God will answer your prayer.

For those who can’t speak up, who haven’t discovered their voice yet, for those who struggle to make their voice heard, raise your voice on their behalf.

We shout for Justice! And we will prevail when we shout with preparation, passion, perseverance and unity.

There’s a megaphone inside all of us, a shout longing to prevail. Raise your voice.

SamMe

P.S: You should subscribe to my blog ... just pop your email address into the Subscribe box up on the right.

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[1] (In the KJV, Luke 23:23 starts “With loud voices …” The original Greek language says: phōnē Megas (which I find incredibly amusing given my fascination with megaphones!) “Megas is often used of intensity and its degrees: with great effort, of the affections and emotions of the mind, of natural events powerfully affecting the senses: violent, mighty, strong or things esteemed highly for their importance: of great moment, of great weight, importance. It also denotes large, big, and massive.” (Thanks Blue Letter Bible!)

I mean come on, is it really any wonder their shouts prevailed?

Jesus totally rocked Feminism!

Hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus, Greek philosophers (like Plato and Aristotle) taught that women were evil, they were mans punishment, they were a curse, subordinate and inferior to men, deformed males, less capable than men, lacking strength unable to reason, or demonstrate self-control*.

When the Roman Empire was established much of this thinking filtered through. Romans questioned whether women were really human, women had so little value they weren’t even given their own name, it was acceptable and legal to dispose of baby girls, and wives could be killed for adultery, but men were encouraged to have mistresses and sleep with prostitutes*.

By the time Jesus was born, Jewish culture and beliefs had been influenced by the Greeks and Romans. They thought women were more likely to sin, they were possessions to be used or avoided, in fact it was better to not even look at or speak to a woman. Women were denied entry to the temple and were segregated from men, they couldn’t fully engaged in worship and were deterred from reading and studying the Torah*.

ENTER JESUS!

In walks Jesus, to kick some mysogynous (fear or hatred of women) inequality in the butt! He ventures into this society poisoned with inequality, double standards and a culture that had strayed from Gods original intention and word. My Hero!

Jesus comes and revolutionises the way women are seen. He implements what it means to live counter-culturally. I LOVE HIS WORK!

He looks at women. He sees women for who they really are. He talks to women. He listens to their fears, and failings and responds to them with kindness and love. He involves women in his own ministry. He reveals to them their real place. He teaches them. He empowers them. He commissions them. He loves them.

There are so many stories of how Jesus spat in the face of inequality and the rules and regulations oppressing women in his day. A few of my favs...


He sits next to a woman at a well, and asks HER to give HIM water. He then enters a theological discussion with her, revealing to HER that he is the 'living water'. This revelation of who he is ... he gave to a woman first. He then commissioned her to go and share her experince of him, with others. As a result of this woman, many came to believe in Jesus.


A woman who has bled constantly for 12 years pushes through a crowd and touches his cloak, believing that just by touching him, she will be healed. Jesus stops, looks her in the face, calls her daughter, affirms her and indeed heals her from her infirmity. She reaches out to him, and he responds. He doesn't turn her away, look down on her ... but he embraces her with compassion and love.


Another women, caught in the act of adultery is surrounded by men. They hold stones, ready to throw, they shout at her with insults and condemnation. The man involved, is nowhere to be seen. Jesus breaks through the crowd and says "Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone." One by one the crowd dissipates. Jesus also challenged the view that women were the only guilty party in adultery and levelled the playing field.

Mary, who sits at the feet of Jesus, taking the typical position of a student or disciple.  She hangs on every word as he teaches. Her sister in the kitchen tries to call her to her 'proper place' in the kitchen, but Jesus affirms Mary, and encourages that she has chosen what is better. He enables and empowers her to learn.

Then there is Mary who Jesus first appeared to in the garden after his resurrection. He tasked her, commissioned her with going to tell others that he had risen. Jesus, asking a woman, Mary, to share the best news ever with a bunch of men. This has to be significant! He commissions and appoints her.

Jesus turned the way women were viewed upside down. He recognised their value, their potential and responded to their needs and desires. He acknowledged and affirmed them for who they really were, despite what society said about them. He wasn't afraid to challenge the beliefs of the day, and did this not only with his words, but with his actions. He called his followers to do the same. Jesus totally rocked feminism. (Boom, dropped the 'f' bomb!)

There is no room for inequality in those who follow Jesus.

Sadly, today, equality for Women is still a dream. All around the world women are oppressed by the beliefs, traditions and values of their societies, cultures and organisations.

Jesus longs to turn that upside down!

Today, on International Womens Day 2013, know this:

Jesus sees you, he values you, he recognises your value and worth, he calls you capable and competant. He responds when you reach out to him. He offers healing, freedom and forgiveness. Jesus desires for women to be freed from oppression and to be seen as and treated equal to their male counter-parts. He wants you living life to it's fullest, and fulfilling your potential. You have value. You have worth.

As followers of Jesus, it's up to us to join him, imitate his example, and kick inequality in the butt!

Stay tuned as I attempt to delve a little deeper into this stuff in coming weeks.

Comment below with your thoughts and opinions, maybe something you’d like some more info on. Maybe even share your own experience of inequality or how you’ve been kicking it in the butt and you’ll go in the draw to win a copy of “Fearless Daughters of the Bible” by J. Lee Grady.
Exciting, my first give-away! (if you’re comment is anonymous, you won’t be able to with the book). The book isn't just for women either ... both men and women will benefit from reading it.

Itsy. Bitsy!

P.S: If you wanna do more reading aroung this topic, check out the books on Equality at the bottom of this page. In particular "Why not women?" by Cunnigham and Hamilton. It gives the cultural context of Jesus day, surrounding influences and breaks down some of the tough passages of scripture regarding women.

*Reference: Cunningham and Hamilton "Why not Women"

And the formula for instant church growth is ...

Prayer. Nothing like keeping it simple huh?

Today I experienced for myself what unified, dedicated, agonising prayer can achieve in a church family.

We have a church family which usually averages 105 on any given Sunday. Ha! Not today! This morning we had around 150 people come to share in worship and fellowship.

Let me explain that we aren't resourced for 150 people on a Sunday morning. The space we currently use for church is an old bowling club, it's not large and we have 126 seats, which fit in the room rather snuggly. On top of that we have the current prayer tent set up in the corner of the room. So this morning, it's fair to say ... we were overcapacity, people had to sit on the floor. What an awesome problem to have! What really blew me away was the atmosphere. The place was buzzing, it was a hive of activity. There was joyful enthusiasm as we worshipped, it was loud. It was almost as though the corps family had experienced a revival and had a new lease on life. It was lively, enthusiastic. It permeated Christ's life in all its fullness.

Tonight, we had an evening service. It was a Praise and Prayer night to celebrate our week of 24/7. Usually, our evening services avergae 15 people. Tonight we had 45. SO MANY ages were represented, from a 6 month old baby to adults in their late 70's. People have tasted and seen that God is good, and have a desire for MORE!

I'm not sharing our numbers to boast about how many people we got to church today ... that's not the point, the exact number is irrelevant. Whats is relevant is the significance a week of 24/7 prayer had in our church community, and the growth we saw as a result. The growth goes deeper than numerical growth though. Corporately there was growth in unity and faith. We have seen some significant growth in the individual lives of our people.
One friend told me about her desire to now make prayer in solitude a priority in her personal life at home after having experienced it in the prayer room.
Anothers faith increased all the more as God gave her a new insight into what it meant to 'love your neighbour'. She felt strongly to start loving her physical neighbours, those who live beside her. When the opportunity came to invite her neighbour to join her in the prayer room, the offer was accepted ... she was able to pray for her neighbour, and her neighbour came to church this morning.
A new song was written by some of the youth in our corps as they spent an entire night in the prayer room.
A teenage boy prayed in church for the first time this evening with boldness and courage.
Where some were hesitant at first to sign up for time in the prayer room, as the week progressed they signed up again and again because with each hour spent with God, their hunger for him increased.
Tears have flowed, hearts have softened, hurts have healed, pains forgotten.
Forgiveness and Freedom, sought and found, Grace, hope, mercy and love abounds.

I gotta be straight up and say that today was Childrens day, and our theme this morning was "Ice-Cream Sunday". Part of that meant that some of the time at church today was making Ice-Cream Sundays and eating ... BUT I don't think that is what caused the growth in numbers ... if it was, we wouldn't have seen such increase at night church. Ice-Cream wasn't the attracting factor ... there was a greater force at play. The power of prayer.

Today I've witnessed some of the fruit of a week of 24/7 prayer. I'm excited to dig deeper and experiment with how we can make prayer even more of a focus in our church family. People are hungry and enthusiastic for more, it's exciting.

Just want to sign off this 24/7 prayer series with a few (ok a few more than a few) quotes on prayer:

"Charles Finney was also convinced that if the
church would just meet the basic conditions for Revival - deep

repentance and heartfelt, 'agonizing' prayer for the outpouring of God's
Spirit, then Revival would ALWAYS result."

"When God intends great mercy for His people, the first thing He does is to set them a-praying."

Matthew Henry

"Shall I give you yet another reason why you should pray? I have preached my very heart out. I could not say any more than I have said. Will not your prayers accomplish that which my preaching fails to do? Is it not likely that the Church has been putting forth its preaching hand but not its praying hand? Oh dear friends! Let us agonise in prayer.”

C. H. Spurgeon

“You must pray with all your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God...This kind of prayer be sure the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame.”

General William Booth

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."

Samuel Chadwick

"When the glory of the Father
Is the goal of every prayer:
When before the throne in heaven
Our High Priest presents it there;
When the Spirit prompts the asking,
When the waiting heart believes:
The we know of each petition
Everyone who asks receives"

Author unknown,

"This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one."

Jesus

Thanks for sharing the prayer journey ... long may it continue.

Itsy Bitsy SamMe.



Kids, time and Jesus

What could be better? Seriously! There really is nothing like being in Christs presence!

So, why is it so hard to find time to get there? I don't know about you, but I find as a mum of two young children (3 & 1), spending dedicated time in Gods presence, in His word and seeking Him in prayer can be challenging to say the least.  In fact, it's been a daily struggle since having Zachy 3 1/2 years ago. It can be easy to find time to find time for facebook, or a fab TV show, yet I can struggle to make time to spend with God.

The constant "Muuuuum"s, requests, toys, books, messy lounge and squabbles easily fill my day (I wouldn't change it, I adore my kids). When Zachy was little I would sometimes find I could go a whole day without even saying hello to Jesus. Often those were the hardest, most tiring days. Yet in His Presence we find rest and strength. What I've come to realise is that a day without Jesus is like living in survival mode, we just get by. Days with Jesus, in the presence of His Spirit are full of life, joy, peace, power, grace and mercy.

I used to wipe off dedicated time with Jesus with "He's with me all day, I can pray to him anytime for anything", "I'm not a morning person" (understatement of the century!!!), "I can find Jesus in my everyday"  which is true, but they became excuses for not setting time aside to just be with Him , to just simply hang out, seek him, listen for him.  You know what? My time set aside with Jesus, in prayer and in His Word goes beyond my expectations every time! He never fails me, He always speaks when I'm listening, and I fall more in love with Him each time. (Like that's not enough reason to make time with Him a priority!)

I don't have all the answers, time with Jesus continues to be a struggle with two wee ones, but it's definitely a battle worth fighting. I don't want to survive each day, I want to live each day to its fullest.
This is an ongoing journey, it will continue to be. At the moment, some days I start the day with Jesus first thing, other days it's when my kids go down for their nap, others it's in the evening before bed, but I'm endeavouring to make it a daily thing because In Gods presence:

• we find rest (Exodus 22:14)
• there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11)
• we experience His goodness (Psalms 31:19-20)
• we are strengthened (Psalms 46:1)
• we are cleansed (Psalms 51:10-11)
• we discover our true identity (Psalms 100:2-5)
• we are redeemed (Isaiah 63:8-9)
• we are refreshed (Acts 3:19-21)
• we find hope (Romans 5:5)
• we are given life (John 6:63)
• we are set free (2 Corinthians 3:17)
• we experience his love (Romans 5:5)
• we are transformed (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Amazing huh? SO SIMPLE TOO!

What things have you put in place to make spending time in Gods presence a priority?
For you parents out there, any tips for other young mums when it comes to hanging out with Jesus?

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. Psalms 95:2-3

Much Aroha,
SamMe!